The U.S. Court of Appeals granted HealthBridge's request to delay the return of 600 striking nursing home workers, in a ruling issued Monday.

No date had been set for their reinstatement, but the New Jersey-based company was ordered last week by U.S. District Judge Robert Chatigny to formulate a plan by Monday on how to bring the workers back at their previous wages and benefits.

The temporary stay of the federal judge's injunction does not mean that the workers have to wait for the outcome of the National Labor Relations Board trial to see if they'll be able to recover their jobs. That trial met Monday, but is not expected to finish testimony until March at the earliest, as it meets intermittently.

This delay is only until a three-judge appellate court panel can be convened. No date has been set. At that point, it will decide whether to block the reinstatement or not. If it blocks the reinstatement at that point, it will still be a temporary decision until it rules on the appeal itself.

If the panel agrees with Chatigny that the NLRB is likely to prevail in its case, the strikers will go back to work before the internal NLRB process is resolved.

Another 70 workers crossed picket lines and have been working at five unionized homes around the state, in Newington, Milford, Westport, Stamford and Danbury. If the injunction stands, those workers would have their benefits restored, and a 2.2 percent raise rolled back.

The court in New York City said it would be submitted as soon as possible.

The workers, represented by District 1199 of the Service Employees International Union, went on strike in July after HealthBridge raised health insurance costs and terminated the pension.

Chatigny ordered the company to bring back workers, saying that the NLRB was likely to prevail in the case. HealthBridge had also said a return of the workers would put nursing home residents in danger because, the company alleged, there were acts of sabotage against residents by workers immediately before the July walkout. No charges have been filed as a result of those allegations and no suspects have been publicly identified.